The COVID-19 pandemic has shown just how hard teachers work to make learning possible for their students, and Janet Udomratsak is certainly no exception. The pregnant elementary school teacher from Lancaster, California, has been on bedrest since July, but that hasn’t stopped her from getting online to facilitate distance learning for her students right from her hospital room.
Udomratsak is expecting a rainbow baby after losing an infant who was born prematurely last year. Because of concerns about preterm labor, she requires regular monitoring by doctors. The school district where Udomratsak teaches is offering distance learning to students because of COVID-19, so rather than taking leave during bedrest, the mom and teacher decided to go ahead with her classes when the new school year started.
With the help of her husband and hospital staff, Udomratsak set up a makeshift teaching area in her hospital room. It has her laptop, a dry erase board and a colorful “welcome” banner for students. While she’s teaching, kids can’t even tell she’s holding class from a hospital.
Udomratsak, who’s also mom to a 5-year-old son, has been sharing her teaching journey on Facebook, where it’s captured national attention. Parents and teachers from all over the country are praising the mom for her hard work and dedication. “It’s so awesome to see you get this recognition as a teacher,” one person writes. “Teachers are so underappreciated for all the hard work they put in during work hours and especially after-work hours.”
For most teachers, this will be a school year unlike any other. Already, 73% of the 100 largest school districts in the country have opted for remote learning, according to the nonprofit Education Week. Whether they’re teaching virtually or in-person, teachers are working through huge changes in their normal schedules, lesson plans and routines.
On Instagram, in-person teachers are sharing last-minute tips for solving problems they’ve never had to worry about before, like which microphones to buy so students can hear them through face shields and masks, or which dollar store pencil cases are the best for storing personal protective equipment.
It isn’t easy to be an educator in the U.S. right now, but teachers like Udomratsak and so many others are showing incredible creativity and dedication in the face of unprecedented stress and pressure. They also remind us how much teachers need support from families and their communities in order to make learning possible during the pandemic.
Udomratsak says she’s been blown away by the encouragement from people online and in real life, and she’s grateful to everyone who’s made it possible for her to continue teaching. “I have been getting messages from friends, coworkers and people I don’t even know telling me how my situation and what I’m doing is an inspiration to them,” she writes in one of her Facebook updates. “I am so touched. If it weren’t for all the prayers and love and support I received from everyone … I wouldn’t have made it this far.”
